Taipei 101

History

Planning

In 1997, led by developer Harace Lin, the Taipei Financial Center Corporation, a team led by several Taiwan banks and insurance companies, won the rights to lease the site for 70 years and develop a building, placing the winning bid of NT$20,688,890,000 for the Build Operate Transfer agreement with the city government.

Construction

Planning for Taipei 101 began in July 1997 during Chen Shui-bian's term as Taipei mayor. Talks between merchants and city government officials initially centered on a proposal for a 66-story tower to serve as an anchor for new development in Taipei's 101 business district. Planners were considering taking the new structure to a more ambitious height only after an expat suggested it, along with many of the other features used in the design of the building. It was not until the summer of 2000 that the city granted a license for the construction of a 101-story tower on the site. In the meantime, construction proceeded and the first tower column was erected in the summer of 2001.

A major earthquake struck Taiwan on 31 March 2002, sending a construction crane falling from the 56th floor to Xinyi Road. The crane crushed several vehicles and caused five deaths – two crane operators and three workers who were not properly harnessed. However, an inspection showed no structural damage to the building, and construction work was able to restart within a week.

Taipei 101's roof was completed three years later on 1 July 2003. Taipei 101 was completed in 2004. The construction was a joint venture led by Kumagai Gumi, a Japanese construction company, in cooperation with Samsung C&T, a South Korean construction company. Samsung C&T was responsible for overseeing the construction of the main structural framework, and RESE was responsible for the construction logistics and main foundation. Ma Ying-jeou, in his first term as Taipei mayor, fastened a golden bolt to signify the achievement. The formal opening of the tower took place on 31 December 2004. President Chen Shui-bian, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng cut the ribbon. Open-air concerts featured a number of popular performers, including singers A-Mei and Stefanie Sun. Visitors rode the elevators to the Observatory for the first time. A few hours later the first fireworks show at Taipei 101 heralded the arrival of a new year. It replaced the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur as the world's tallest building.

Post-construction

The Taipei Financial Center Corporation (TFCC) announced plans on 2 November 2009 to make Taipei 101 "the world's tallest building" by summer of 2011 as measured by LEED standards. The structure was already designed to be energy-efficient, with double-pane windows blocking external heat by 50% and recycled water meeting 20–30% of the building's needs. LEED certification would entail inspections and upgrades in wiring, water and lighting equipment at a cost of NT$60 million (US$1.8 million). Estimates showed the savings resulting from the modifications paid for the cost of making them within three years. The project was carried out under the guidance of an international team composed of Siemens Building Technologies, architect and interior designer Steven Leach Group and the LEED advisory firm EcoTech International. The company applied for a platinum-degree certification with LEED in early 2011. On 28 July 2011, Taipei 101 received LEED platinum certification under "Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance". Although the project cost NT$60 million (US$2.08 million), it is expected to save 14.4 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, or an 18% energy-saving, equivalent to NT$36 million (US$1.2 million) in energy costs each year. In 2019, it was named among the 50 most influential skyscrapers in the world by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

On 4 January 2020, the building had a condolence message in lights for the victims of a helicopter crash, which included a number of senior government officials. On 8 February 2020, it was reported that some passengers of the Diamond Princess cruise liner, quarantined for an outbreak of COVID-19, had visited Taipei 101 on 31 January at which point none exhibited symptoms. On 1 April 2020, the shopping center said it was reducing business hours due to the coronavirus pandemic. It had started checking shopper's temperatures in February. On 21 May 2020, the building said it would resume normal business hours in June, as the country had effectively limited the spread of COVID-19.

Usages

Events and celebrity appearances

Taipei 101 is the site of many special events. Art exhibits, as noted above, regularly take place in the Observatory. A few noteworthy dates since the tower's opening include these below:

• On 25 December 2004, French rock and urban climber Alain Robert made an authorized climb to the top of the pinnacle in four hours.
• On 28 February 2005, former President of the United States Bill Clinton visited and signed copies of his autobiography.
• On 19 April 2005, the tower displayed the formula "E=mc2" in lights to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of Einstein's theory of relativity. The display, the largest of 65,000 such displays in 47 countries, was part of the international celebration World Year of Physics 2005*.*
• On 20 November 2005, the First annual Taipei 101 Run Up featured a race up the 2,046 steps from floors 1 to 91. Proceeds were to benefit Taiwan's Olympic teams. Run Ups have continued to be held regularly.
• On 20 October 2006, the tower displayed a pink ribbon in lights to promote breast cancer awareness. The ten-day campaign was sponsored by Taipei 101's ownership and Estée Lauder.
• On 12 December 2007, Austrian BASE jumper Felix Baumgartner survived an unauthorized parachute jump from the 91st floor. Baumgartner was banned from re-entry into Taiwan and Taipei 101 increased security measures along with disciplining security staff for failing to intervene.
• On 6 December 2014, Japanese idol group HKT48 held a small concert on the 91st-floor observatory as the premiere of their tour in Taiwan.
• On 25 January 2026, American climber Alex Honnold completed an authorized free solo climb of Taipei 101 in one hour and 31 minutes, the tallest urban free solo climb in history. The event was streamed by Netflix under the title Skyscraper Live.

New Year's Eve fireworks displays

Main article: Taipei New Year's Eve Party

The New Year's Eve Show in Taipei is held at the Taipei City Hall. Visitors have a view of Taipei 101 which is surrounded by fireworks at midnight. Another popular location for crowds to gather to see the fireworks display is the public square of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.

Architecture and design

Height

Various sources, including the building's owners, give the height of Taipei 101 as 508 m, roof height and top floor height as 448 m and 438 m. This lower figure is derived by measuring from the top of a 1.2 m platform at the base. CTBUH standards include the height of the platform in calculating the overall height, as it represents part of the man-made structure and is above the level of the surrounding pavement. Taipei 101 displaced the Petronas Towers as the tallest building in the world by 57.3 m. The record it claimed for greatest height from ground to pinnacle was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which is 829.8 m in height. Taipei 101's records for roof height and highest occupied floor briefly passed to the Shanghai World Financial Center in 2008, However, this record was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in 2009.

Taipei 101 was the world's tallest building, at 508.2 m as measured to its architectural top (spire), exceeding that of the Petronas Towers, which were previously the tallest skyscraper at 451.9 m. The height to the top of the roof, at 449.2 m, and highest occupied floor, at 439.2 m, surpassed the previous records of the Willis Tower: 442 m and 412.4 m, respectively. It also surpassed the 85-story, 347.5 m Tuntex Sky Tower in Kaohsiung as the tallest building in Taiwan and the 51-story, 244.15 m Shin Kong Life Tower as the tallest building in Taipei.

Taipei 101 comprises 101 floors above ground, as well as five basement levels. The first building to break the half-kilometer mark in height, it was the world's tallest building from 31 March 2004 to 10 March 2010 (six years) until it was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa in 2010. For 12 years, it also housed the fastest elevator, at 61 km/h. It also has the largest wind damper in the world, at 18 feet across. As of 2023, Taipei 101 is the eleventh-tallest building in the world, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's official rankings.

Structural design

Taipei 101 is designed to withstand typhoon winds and earthquake tremors that are common in the area in the east of Taiwan. Evergreen Consulting Engineering, the structural engineer, designed Taipei 101 to withstand gale winds of 60 m/s, (216 km/h), as well as the strongest earthquakes in a 2,500-year cycle.

Taipei 101 was designed to be flexible as well as structurally resistant, because while flexibility prevents structural damage, resistance ensures comfort both for the occupants and for the protection of the glass, curtain walls, and other features. Most designs achieve the necessary strength by enlarging critical structural elements such as bracing. Because of the height of Taipei 101, combined with the surrounding area's geology—the building is located just 660 ft away from a major fault line—outrigger trusses, located at eight-floor intervals, connect the columns in the building's core to those on the exterior.

These features, combined with the solidity of its foundation, made Taipei 101 one of the most stable buildings ever constructed. The foundation is reinforced by 380 piles driven 80 m into the ground, extending as far as 30 m into the bedrock. Each pile is 1.5 m in diameter and can bear a load of 1000 -.

Motioneering designed a 660 t steel pendulum that serves as a tuned mass damper, at a cost of NT$132 million (US$4 million). Suspended from the 92nd to the 88th floor, the pendulum sways to offset movements in the building caused by strong gusts. The tuned mass damper is visible to all visitors on the 88th floor upwards until the 92nd floor. It can reduce up to 40% of the tower's movements. Its ball, the largest damper ball in the world, consists of 41 circular steel plates of varying diameters, each 125 mm thick, welded together to form a 5.5 m ball. Two additional tuned mass dampers, each weighing 6 t, are installed at the tip of the spire which help prevent damage to the structure due to strong wind loads. On 8 August 2015, strong winds from Typhoon Soudelor swayed the main damper by 1 m—the largest movement ever recorded by the damper.

The damper has become such a popular tourist attraction that the city contracted Sanrio to create a mascot: the Damper Baby. Five versions of the Damper Baby ("Rich Gold", "Cool Black", "Smart Silver", "Happy Green" and "Lucky Red") were designed and made into figurines and souvenirs sold in various Taipei 101 gift shops. Damper Baby has become a popular local icon, with its own comic book and website.

Structural facade

Taipei 101's characteristic blue-green glass curtain walls are double paned and glazed, offer heat and UV protection sufficient to block external heat by 50%, and can sustain impacts of 7 t. The facade system of glass and aluminum panels installed into an inclined movement-resisting lattice contributes to overall lateral rigidity by tying back to the mega-columns with one-story high trusses at every eighth floor. This facade system is, therefore, able to withstand up to 95 mm of seismic lateral displacements without damage. The facade system is also known as a Damper.

The original corners of the facade were tested at RWDI in Ontario, Canada. A simulation of a 100-year storm at RWDI revealed a vortex that formed during a 3-second 105 mph wind at a height of 10 meters, or equivalent to the lateral tower sway rate causing large crosswind oscillations. A double chamfered step design was found to dramatically reduce this crosswind oscillation, resulting in the final design's "double stairstep" corner facade. Architect C.Y. Lee also used extensive facade elements to represent the symbolic identity he pursued. These facade elements included the green tinted glass for the indigenous slender bamboo look, eight upper outwards inclined tiers of pagoda each with eight floors, a ruyi and a money box symbol between the two facade sections among others.

Taipei 101's own roof and facade recycled water system meets 20–30% of the building's water needs. In July 2011, Taipei 101 was certified "the world's tallest green building" under LEED standards.

Symbolism

The height of 101 floors commemorates the renewal of time: the new century that arrived as the tower was built (100+1) and all the new years that follow (1 January = 1-01). It symbolizes lofty ideals by going one better on 100, a traditional number of perfection. The number also evokes the binary numeral system used in digital technology.

The main tower features a series of eight segments of eight floors each. In Chinese-speaking cultures the number eight is associated with abundance, prosperity and good fortune.

The repeated segments simultaneously recall the rhythms of an Asian pagoda (a tower linking earth and sky, also evoked in the Petronas Towers), a stalk of bamboo (an icon of learning and growth), and a stack of ancient Chinese ingots or money boxes (a symbol of abundance). Popular humor sometimes likens the building's shape to a stack of take-out boxes as used in Western-style Chinese food; of course, the stackable shape of such boxes is likewise derived from that of ancient money boxes. The four discs mounted on each face of the building where the pedestal meets the tower represent coins. The emblem placed over entrances shows three gold coins of ancient Chinese design with central holes shaped to imply the Arabic numerals 1-0-1. The structure incorporates many shapes of squares and circles to symbolize yin and yang.

Curled ruyi figures appear throughout the structure as a design motif. Though the shape of each ruyi at Taipei 101 is traditional, its rendering in industrial metal is plainly modern. The ruyi is a talisman of ancient origin associated in art with heavenly clouds. It connotes healing, protection and fulfillment. It appears in celebrations of the attainment of new career heights. The sweeping curved roof of the adjoining mall culminates in a colossal ruyi that shades pedestrians. Each ruyi ornament on the exterior of the Taipei 101 tower stands at least 8 m tall.

At night the bright yellow gleam from its pinnacle casts Taipei 101 in the role of a candle or torch upholding the ideals of liberty and welcome. From 6 to 10 p.m., the tower's lights display one of seven colors on a weekly schedule.

From 26 February to 6 March 2022, the typical colors were replaced by blue and yellow in solidarity with Ukraine, in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The adjoining Taipei 101 on the east side connects the landmark further with the symbolism of time. The design of the circular park doubles as the face of a giant sundial. The tower itself casts the shadow to mark afternoon for the building's occupants. The park's design is echoed in a clock that stands at its entrance. The clock runs on wind power drawn from the building's wind shear.

Taipei 101, like many of its neighboring buildings, exemplifies the influence of feng shui philosophy. An example appears in the form of a large granite fountain at the intersection of Songlian Road and Xinyi Road near the tower's east entrance. A ball at the fountain's top spins toward the tower. As a work of public art the fountain offers a contrast to the tower in texture even as its design echoes the tower's rhythms. The fountain also serves a practical function in feng shui philosophy. A T intersection near the entrance of a building represents a potential drain of positive energy, or ch'i, from the structure and its occupants. Placing flowing water at such spots is thought to help redirect the flow of ch'i.

Interior

Two restaurants have opened on the 85th floor: Diamond Tony's, which offers European-style seafood and steak, and 85TD, which offers Chinese style cuisine. Occupying all of the 86th floor is Taiwanese high-class buffet restaurant . Din Tai Fung, several international dining establishments and retail outlets also operate in the adjoining mall. The multistory retail mall adjoining the tower is home to hundreds of fashionable stores, restaurants, clubs and other attractions. The mall's interior is modern in design even as it makes use of traditional elements. The curled ruyi symbol is a recurring motif inside the mall. Many features of the interior also observe feng shui traditions.

Floor directory

A tenant directory is posted in the first floor's lobby (visible from the Xinyi entrance). The number 4 is considered an unlucky number in Chinese culture, so instead the 44th floor is renamed the 43rd, and the actual 43rd floor becomes 42A. As of 1 January 2011, the highest occupied office floor (excluding the observatory and restaurants) was 75. The building appears to be at least 70% occupied at this point. The 92nd through 100th floors are officially designated as communication floors, although it is unknown if there are any radio or TV stations currently broadcasting from the top of Taipei 101. The 101st floor indoor/outdoor rooftop observatory opened to the public on 14 June 2019.

Elevator

The double-deck elevators built by the Japanese Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems Corporation (TELC) set a new record in 2004 with the fastest ascending speeds in the world. At 60.6 km per hour, 16.83 m per second, or 1,010 m/min, the speed of Taipei 101's elevators is 34.7% faster than the previous record holders of the Yokohama Landmark Tower elevator, Yokohama, Japan, which reaches speeds of 12.5 m per second (45 km/h, 28 mph). Taipei 101's elevators transport visitors from the fifth floor to the 89th-floor observatory in 37 seconds. Each elevator features an aerodynamic body, full pressurization, state-of-the art emergency braking systems, and the world's first triple-stage anti-overshooting system. The cost for each elevator is NT$80 million (US$2.4 million). In 2016, the title for the fastest elevator was taken away by the Shanghai Tower in Shanghai. Shortly after, the title for the world's fastest elevator was passed on yet again to the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre.

Artworks

Many works of art appear in and around Taipei 101. These include: German artist Rebecca Horn's Dialog between Yin and Yang in 2002 (steel, iron), American artist Robert Indiana's 1-0 in 2002 and Love in 2003 (aluminum), French artist Ariel Moscovici's Between Earth and Sky in 2002 (rose de la claret granite), Taiwanese artist Chung Pu's Global Circle In 2002 (black granite, white marble), British artist Jill Watson's City Composition in 2002 (Bronze), and Taiwanese artist Kang Mu Hsiang's Infinite Life in 2013 (aluminum). Moreover, the Indoor Observatory hosts a regular series of exhibitions. The artists represented have included Wu Ching (gold sculpture), Ping-huang Chang (traditional painting) and Po-lin Chi (aerial photography).

Floor plan